Good morning, and welcome to Mindful Mondays.
As write this, it’s a beautiful Sunday morning here in San Diego, the morning of St. Patrick’s Day. Although we’re still a few days out from the spring equinox, the days are growing longer and warmer. The evergreen pear trees planted around the city are in bloom, scattering tiny white flowers. It feels like both nature and the people who live here are coming to life again.
Aside from being a celebration of Irish heritage and culture, I think part of the reason for St. Patrick’s Day’s popularity around the world is as a kind of covert celebration of the beginning of spring. With its proximity to the spring equinox and its emphasis on the color green, it strikes me as a Christianization of the archetypal, pagan urge to mark the changing seasons (much like Easter and Christmas).
Spring is a time of renewed life and energy. In the winter, we naturally tend to spend more time inside, becoming more sedentary and focusing on indoor activities. We lie fallow and plant the seeds of intentions for the new year. But with spring, we can find the energy to pursue our creative goals with full force.
How are you finding renewal this spring? What new goals are projects are you pouring your energy into? Let me know by replying to this email or leaving a comment, below.
Essay I’m Reading:
Splendour of Fire, Speed of Lightning: Today, St. Patrick’s Day is mainly celebrated with green beer and parades. But the real St. Patrick was a mystic who bridged the worlds of paganism and early Christianity. In this wonderful essay, Paul Kingsnorth reflects on the spiritual heritage of St. Patrick, and what his legacy has to teach us, today.
Podcast I’m Listening To:
Cal Newport — How to Embrace Slow Productivity, Build a Deep Life, Achieve Mastery, and Defend Your Time (#722): Cal Newport is a professor of computer science at Georgetown University and the author of a number of influential books about productivity. As far as I know, he’s the originator of the term “deep work,” which you might have seen floating around the internet in the last few years, especially if you’re in the creator space. In this episode of the Tim Ferriss show, Cal joins Tim to talk about his most recent book, Slow Productivity. Cal’s message is the opposite of hustle culture: it’s all slowing down, eliminating distractions, and focusing on the essentials so you can do your best work.
Quote of the Week:
“Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.”
—C. S. Lewis, “On Stories” (h/t @DylanoA4)
That’s all for this week! As always, I appreciate your feedback on Mindful Mondays. What was your favorite thing I shared this week? What would you like to learn more about? Let me know by replying to this email or leaving a comment on Substack.
Thanks for reading,
Chris Cordry, LMFT
PS: I have a couple of spots open in my coaching practice. If you’re interested in leveling up your mindfulness and finding the focus to make progress on your most important goals, let me know by replying to this email with “coaching.”
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